Cable ties are well known devices used to bundle or secure a group of articles such as electrical wires or cables. U.S. Pat. No. 3,102,311 to Martin et al. is an early example of ties used for such purposes. Cable ties 910 of conventional construction include a cable tie head 912, a longitudinal strap 916 extending from the head and a tail 914 at the opposite end of the strap 916 (see FIG. 1). The strap 916 is wrapped around a bundle of articles and the tail 914 is inserted through an aperture or passage in the head 912. The head 912 of the cable tie 910 typically includes a locking element in the passage which engages the strap 916 after it is inserted into the passage. Once the tail 914 is pulled through the passage, the locking element secures the strap 916 in the head 912. (See FIG. 2)
Advances in cable tie construction have taken many forms and shapes. Many of these advances have been in the area of the locking element carried in the cable tie head to secure the strap therein. The art has seen the use of flexible locking elements which are integrally molded with the head. However, a recognized weakness in many integrally molded cable tie designs is the non-rigid nature of the head. Typically, cable ties—the tail and head—are made of the same material and they are designed to be flexible so that they can be wrapped around an object or used to secure two or more objects together. Because of this, non-rigid materials used to make cable ties and the heads, including the locking element, have a degree of flexibility. These flexible heads may not tightly grip the tail and the tail can be pulled out of the head by turning and twisting.
Thus, there exists a need to provide a cable tie with a head that is more rigid and does not allow the tail to be easily pulled out after it is secured in the head.